All manner and variety of absorbent devices or appliances have been configured for the absorption of body fluids, such as menses, and are well known. Sanitary napkins are the most frequently used of these devices.
In the formation of such absorbent devices for the absorption of human exudate, the sanitary napkin commonly includes a liquid-permeable, bodyfacing cover, an absorbent core and a liquid-impermeable backing sheet or baffle. These absorbent devices, whether utilized as diapers, incontinence garments or sanitary napkins are subject to failure resulting in the movement of fluid across the face of the cover and/or through the absorbent core and leaking onto the wearer or the wearer's undergarment. In the area of sanitary napkins, it has been suggested that at least 20-25 percent of all sanitary napkins have side leakage. This incidence of leakage increases especially for those sanitary napkins having increased absorbency designed primarily for medium to heavy flow.
To overcome the problem of side leakage, sanitary napkins have been constructed having elasticized sides that urge the sides upward or cause the sanitary napkin to form a cup shape.
Another method of preventing side leakage has been to extend wings from the edges of the sanitary napkin. The wings generally extend over the edges of the undergarment crotch portion and adhere to the crotch portion or to themselves. The wings typically assist the garment adhesive, if present, to hold the sanitary napkin in position during use. However, it is possible that these elasticized edges or wings will fold inward, partially occluding the cover surface and thereby diminishing the efficacy of the sanitary napkin. In some cases this folding results in the edges actually contributing to incidence of failure.
Therefore, there remains a need for a sanitary napkin that will be comfortable to wear while decreasing the chance of side leakage associated with the use of sanitary napkins during the menstrual period.